279: You are teaching me how to do things

Wu Ning was somewhat surprised, but his face showed no unexpected expression. He cupped his hands in a salute and said, "So it is the Dean who has arrived. May I ask what the Dean means by this?"

"Do you know who set the highest record on the Invincible Path before you?" Si Qing asked in return.

"Who was it?" Wu Ning asked. He only knew it was someone named Yu Chunqiu, but he hadn't thoroughly investigated this person's specific identity.

Information about him in the Void Realm was also scarce.

Si Qing merely smiled faintly, a look of reverence appearing in his eyes, and said, "He is precisely our Chaos Academy's contemporary Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu."

"Back then, Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu was also an unrivaled figure among his peers, contending against billions of Prodigies across the Heavens without a single defeat. Later, he was even hailed as the First Immortal Emperor of Primordial Chaos!"

"The 912th stage of the Invincible Path was merely a record Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu left behind during his secluded cultivation in the Inner Courtyard; it was far from his Peak."

"However…" Si Qing paused, his gaze fixed on Wu Ning, "Few in the Academy know that Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu once challenged the Invincible Path again after advancing to the Dao Lord Realm, but due to his cultivation, the result was not recorded."

"And this time, even Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu, having advanced to the Dao Lord Realm, ultimately stopped at the 980th stage!"

"Young man, you went directly to the final stage. Are you even more of a Prodigy than Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu in the Dao Lord Realm?"

Wu Ning suddenly understood. So that was it.

That Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu was an unrivaled figure in his Realm. He had accomplished something that even Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu couldn't achieve after entering the Dao Lord Realm, which was indeed a bit jarring.

It inevitably made Si Qing overthink.

In response, Wu Ning smiled noncommittally and said, "According to the Dean, do you perhaps think I am a Heavenly Monarch?"

Si Qing was slightly taken aback. "When did I ever think that?"

Wu Ning replied, "In your view, I am not more of a Prodigy than Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu in the Dao Lord Realm, yet I accomplished something he couldn't even in his Dao Lord Realm. Then my Realm must be higher than the Dao Lord Realm…"

Si Qing was momentarily speechless, then burst into laughter:

"Hahahaha…"

"Good kid!"

"Indeed, your level of Prodigy has truly surpassed Grand Palace Master Yu Chunqiu from back then!"

"In terms of talent and combat power, it's likely no one throughout the entire history of the Heavens can match you. The title of the Heavens' First Prodigy of all ages is indeed well-deserved!"

Wu Ning merely smiled faintly.

He no longer cared about being a Prodigy or a Prodigy.

Becoming the supreme existence standing at the Peak of the Heavens was his current goal.

And his indifferent demeanor made Si Qing nod secretly.

Unmoved by favor or disgrace, neither arrogant nor impatient, not showing the slightest pride due to external praise—such a Heart-Nature definitely belonged to someone with a firm Dao Heart, who would surely achieve great things in the future!

Swish!

Si Qing nodded with satisfaction, then raised his hand and took out an ancient, rustic brown token, handing it to Wu Ning:

"Keep this token well. With it, you possess authority second only to mine. You can freely enter and exit some cultivation Forbidden Grounds within the Academy and access many core secrets."

"At the same time, holding this token, other high-ranking officials of the Academy cannot do anything to you."

"Thank you, Dean."

Wu Ning took the token. One side of it was engraved with an extremely profound pattern, while the other side bore an ancient character, "Si."

This token was not just a token; it also had the same functions as an identity wristband, capable of connecting to the Void Realm, and possessed higher authority.

Wu Ning did not stand on ceremony and directly put it away.

Si Qing smiled and did not linger. After a few more casual words with Wu Ning, he directly departed.

…

Wu Ning continued to lie in the courtyard.

He appeared lazy, seemingly resting, but in reality, he was relishing and digesting the decades of accumulated combat experience and insights.

On the other side.

Night Solitary Chill flew towards his residence with a smile on his face, coincidentally encountering Ancient Chen and others halfway.

He immediately stopped, directly flashed and appeared before Ancient Chen, and said with a chilling gaze, "Ancient Chen, I heard you were being a bit dishonest, even trying to gather a group of people to give the Dao Child a hard time. Is this true?"

Ancient Chen frowned and said righteously, "Brother Ye, please don't listen to nonsense. I, Ancient Chen, have always held the Dao Child of the Wu Clan in high esteem. I even planned to host a banquet to befriend the Dao Child earlier, but unfortunately, the Dao Child was too busy at the time and couldn't grace us with his presence."

"It is truly regrettable!"

Night Solitary Chill sneered inwardly, not believing a single word he said.

However, his purpose this time was only to warn him, so he did not intend to delve deeper.

"That's for the best!"

"I'm putting it out there today: if anyone dares to disrespect the Dao Child, they are making an enemy of me, Night Solitary Chill. You'd best not harbor any ulterior motives, otherwise… Hmph!"

Night Solitary Chill released a wisp of pressure, his eyes full of threat.

"Night Solitary Chill, although that Wu Clan Dao Child is extraordinary, you are still a Peak Immortal Emperor. There's no need to curry favor with him like this, is there?" Someone beside Ancient Chen sneered.

"Heh, are you teaching me how to do things?" Night Solitary Chill coldly glanced at him.

"…"

That person's face darkened, furious to the extreme, yet he dared not provoke Night Solitary Chill further.

"Do I need you to tell me how to act?"

"Coward!"

Night Solitary Chill scoffed disdainfully, swept his gaze over them again, then directly flashed away.

Ancient Chen watched his disappearing figure, his expression fluctuating between dark and light.

…

Wu Ning lay lazily on a lounge chair made of immortal wood, remaining there for several years.

Several years later.

He quietly opened his eyes, his gaze as calm as water, as if containing a vast starry sky, incredibly profound.

"It's time to go to the next place…" Wu Ning muttered, then slowly stood up, preparing to continue breaking records in other Trial Grounds and earn more points.

Soon after, he arrived at the Refining God Pagoda.

This was an ancient, towering giant pagoda, like a black giant sword, piercing straight into the sky!

The Refining God Pagoda was a place for tempering the Divine Soul, and like the Invincible Path, it also had a thousand stages.

It had a total of one thousand levels from low to high, with each level being a stage.

In the Soul Refining Pagoda, cultivation would also be suppressed, but the Divine Soul would not be suppressed. Each Breakthrough in a stage required the power of the Divine Soul.

Therefore, the higher the Realm, the higher one could climb, as the higher the Realm, the stronger the Divine Soul.

This was also a place to verify one's true strength.

However, only in terms of Divine Soul.

The current highest record was 984 stages.

The person who set this record was not Yu Chunqiu, nor even a Human Race member, but a peerless Prodigy from the Dream Eater Yao Race.

This race was naturally powerful in Divine Soul and particularly skilled in dreams and illusions; few other races in the Heavens could compare.

Wu Ning did not hesitate and directly entered the Refining God Pagoda.

Since the Divine Soul was not suppressed, with his Divine Soul in the Dao Lord Realm, there was simply no difficulty.